Genesis · Berean Standard Bible
Genesis 33 Berean Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
1 Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants.
2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
2 He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
3 But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
3 He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.
5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.”
5 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.
6 Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
7 Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 “What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
9 “I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”
9 Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”
10 But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably.
10 Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
11 Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
11 Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”
12 Esau said, “Let’s take our journey, and let’s go, and I will go before you.”
13 But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die.
13 Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
14 Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
14 Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.”
15 “Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
15 Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir,
16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
17 but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
17 Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.
18 Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.
19 And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.
19 He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.
20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
20 He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Hamor
A Hivite, the prince of the region and father of Shechem, from whose sons Jacob bought the plot where he pitched his tent; he and Shechem agreed to circumcision in order to…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 33:19; Genesis 34:2; Genesis 34:6
Jacob
He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49
Rachel
Jacob's beloved wife, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who died in childbirth.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 29-35
Cross references (16)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 32:6–7; Genesis 27:41–42; Genesis 32:16
- 2 Malachi 3:17; Genesis 30:22–24; Genesis 37:3; Genesis 29:30
- 3 Genesis 42:6; Luke 14:11; Genesis 18:2; Genesis 43:26; Ecclesiastes 10:4
- 4 Genesis 45:14–15; Psalm 34:4; Luke 15:20; Genesis 32:28; Genesis 45:2
- 5 Psalm 127:3; Isaiah 8:18; Genesis 48:9; 1 Chronicles 28:5; 1 Samuel 1:27
- 8 Genesis 32:5; Genesis 39:5; Genesis 32:13–20; Esther 2:17
- 9 Genesis 27:39; Philemon 7; Proverbs 16:7; Acts 9:17; Judges 20:23
- 10 Job 33:26; Revelation 22:4; Genesis 32:30; Jeremiah 31:2; Exodus 33:12–13
- 11 Philippians 4:18; 1 Samuel 25:27; Genesis 33:9; 2 Kings 5:23; Genesis 30:43
- 13 Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:15–16; John 21:15–17; 1 Chronicles 22:5; Proverbs 12:10
- 14 Isaiah 40:11; Genesis 32:3; Romans 15:1; Ezekiel 35:2–3; Mark 4:33
- 15 Ruth 2:13; Genesis 34:11; Genesis 47:25; 1 Samuel 25:8; 2 Samuel 16:4
- 17 Psalm 60:6; Judges 8:5; Joshua 13:27; Judges 8:8; Judges 8:16
- 18 Judges 9:1; Joshua 24:1; Acts 7:16; John 4:5; Genesis 25:20
- 19 Acts 7:16; John 4:5; Joshua 24:32; Genesis 34:2–31; Genesis 23:17–20
- 20 Genesis 35:7; Genesis 21:33; Genesis 32:28; Genesis 8:20; Genesis 12:7–8
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… to have so come to pass; for those blessings which say, "Be lord over thy brother, and let thy father's sons worship thee," had no accomplishment in himself (how could they, he being in fear and trembling, and worshipping his brother over and over again? ), but in his offspring they had.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… threescore and fifteen souls," he says, "Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem." (v.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)